Kent Lopez

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the upcoming retirement of Kent Lopez as General Manager of the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

For nearly 17 years, Kent has diligently represented the interests of these 14 not-for-profit, rural electric coops and has advocated for the interests of consumer-owned utilities for more than 40 years.

Whether it's my home co-op of Benton REA in Central Washington, Okanogan County Electric and Nespelem Valley Electric to our north; or Big Bend Electric just next door, Kent has dutifully executed his charge of ensuring that hundreds of thousands of rural Washingtonians have access to the affordable, reliable, and abundant renewable cost- based benefits of the Federal Columbia River Power System--a system critically important to the well-being of the Pacific Northwest.

But come July 1st, Kent will hang up his coat and focus on the long ``honey-do'' list his lovely wife Cindy has ready for him.

I wish Kent good luck in retirement; he has earned it.

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